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Abstract:

Systems, methods, non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer
program instructions for causing a computer device to implement methods,
and the like utilize weather information from one or a variety of
locations to estimate costs for providing weather-dependent work, and to
provide financial controls for weather-dependent work allegedly
performed. One method includes utilizing historical weather information
relating to performance of weather-dependent work at a work location to
generate an estimate of an anticipated frequency with which
weather-dependent work will be necessary, utilizing information to
estimate an anticipated cost per incident for performing
weather-dependent work at the selected work location, and using such
information at a plurality of locations to generate an aggregate bid for
performing weather-dependent work at the locations. Weather information
is also used to audit weather-dependent work allegedly performed at the
work locations to provide financial controls to the aggregated
weather-dependent work in compliance with law and regulation.

Claims:

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer program
instructions for causing a computer device to implement a method for
estimating costs to perform weather-dependent work at a plurality of work
locations, the method comprising: utilizing a weather information source
providing historical weather information relating to a historical need
for performance of weather-dependent work at a selected work location of
the plurality of work locations to generate an estimate of an anticipated
frequency with which weather-dependent work will be necessary at the
selected work location; utilizing information about conditions at the
selected work location and information about the cost of performing
weather-dependent work in the area of the selected work location to
estimate an anticipated cost per incident for performing
weather-dependent work at the selected work location; repeating the steps
of generating an estimate of the anticipated frequency of performing
weather-dependent work and estimating an anticipated cost per incident
for performing weather-dependent work for all of the plurality of work
locations; and generating an aggregate bid for performing
weather-dependent work at all of the plurality of work locations based on
the anticipated frequency of performing weather dependent work and the
anticipated cost per incident for performing the weather-dependent work
at each of the plurality of work locations.

2. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1,
wherein the method comprises: locating a plurality of weather information
sources providing weather information potentially corresponding to the
work locations; and determining a best correlation between the weather
information of each weather information source and work history data for
each work location; wherein the best correlation is utilized in
generating the anticipated frequency of performing weather-dependent work
at each work location.

3. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1,
wherein utilizing information about conditions at the selected work
location and information about the cost of performing weather-dependent
work in the area of the selected work location to estimate an anticipated
cost per incident for performing weather-dependent work at the selected
work location comprises generating an estimate of an actual area on which
weather-dependent work will be necessary.

4. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 3,
wherein generating an estimate of an actual area on which work will be
necessary comprises: obtaining imagery of the work location depicting the
actual area on which work will be necessary; and deriving, from the
imagery, the estimate of the actual area in which weather-dependent work
will be necessary.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 4,
wherein the steps of obtaining imagery of the work location and deriving,
from the imagery, the estimate of the actual work area are automatically
performed.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 7,
wherein the estimate of the actual work area is manually reviewed.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 4,
wherein the steps of obtaining imagery of the work location and deriving,
from the imagery, the estimate of the actual work area are manually
performed.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 4,
wherein when the estimate of the actual area in which weather-dependent
work will be necessary cannot be determined with sufficient certainty, a
request is made for an in-person estimate of the cost for performing
weather-dependent work at the selected work location.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 3,
wherein utilizing information about conditions at the selected work
location and information about the cost of performing weather-dependent
work in the area of the selected work location to estimate an anticipated
cost per incident for performing weather-dependent work at the selected
work location further comprises incorporating information about the
complexity of performing weather-dependent work at the selected work
location.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer program
instructions for causing a computer device to implement a method for
auditing invoiced weather-dependent work at a first location, the method
comprising: locating a weather information source providing weather
information indicative of a need to perform weather-dependent work at a
work location; receiving an invoice for weather-dependent work allegedly
performed at the work location; and evaluating the invoice for
weather-dependent work allegedly performed at the first location in light
of the weather information near the time of alleged performance of the
weather-related work at the work location to determine a likelihood that
the weather-related work was necessary and actually performed.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 13,
wherein the method further comprises, when an evaluation of the
weather-dependent work allegedly performed at the work location in light
of the weather information is indicative that the weather-dependent work
was not necessary, placing a hold on paying for the weather-dependent
work allegedly performed at the work location until a service provider
can prove that the weather-dependent work was necessary and was
performed.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer program
instructions for causing a computer device to implement a method for
providing controls related to weather-dependent work at a first location,
the method comprising: locating a first weather information source
providing weather information relating to a second location, the second
location being estimated to have weather similar to weather occurring at
the first location; determining a correlation between the weather
information relating to the second location and a need for
weather-dependent work at the first location by comparing weather history
data relating to the second location from the first weather information
source to work history data for weather-dependent work at the first
location; monitoring the first weather information source for current
weather information related to possible weather-related events suggesting
a need for weather-dependent work at the first location; recording
possible weather-related events suggesting a need for weather-dependent
work at the first location; determining whether an invoice for
weather-dependent work at the first location has been received
corresponding to all recorded possible weather-related events; notifying
a service provider of weather-dependent work at the first location when
no invoice for weather-dependent work at the first location has been
received corresponding to any possible weather-related event suggesting a
need for weather-dependent work at the first location; and auditing the
invoice for weather-dependent work at the first location when the invoice
is received.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 15,
further comprising notifying a service provider of a potential need to
perform weather-dependent work at a time proximate to a detected weather
event.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 16,
wherein the service provider is notified of a potential need to perform
weather-dependent work only when the service provider has not checked in
within a certain time frame after detection of the detected weather
event.

17. A system for use in verification of services performed, in a large
scale service provider environment, the system providing: a weather
observation and reporting site; a computer in communication with said
weather observation and reporting site to either receive reports when a
preset parameter is reached or to review regular reports from the site
and determine when a preset parameter has been received; a service period
in which it has been determined that a service provider should notice the
weather has reached said preset parameter and responded by performing for
a client a snow removal service; and a computer generated communication
sent to the client requesting a response to a query regarding whether the
snow removal service was performed and whether it was satisfactory.

18. A system as recited in claim 17, further comprising an automatic
alert sent to the service provider if the service was not performed or
was not satisfactory.

19. A system as a recited in claim 17, further comprising an alert sent
to a central control unit that a service was not performed.

20. A system as recited in claim 17, further comprising a notice of
verification of service performed sent to an accounting center so an
invoice can be generated for the service performed.

21. A system as recited in claim 20, further comprising a computer
generated communication sent to the client as a follow-up to determine if
the service was eventually provided.

Description:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is related to co-filed pending patent application
Ser. No. 13/187,352, filed Jul. 20, 2011 (Attorney Docket No. 18770.2)
titled "Systems and Methods for Weather-Based Estimation, Auditing, and
Exception Reporting," which is incorporated herein in its entirety by
reference for all it discloses.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to weather-dependent seasonal work,
and more particularly to systems and methods for providing financial
controls related to weather-based seasonal work.

[0004] 2. Background and Related Art

[0005] Weather-based or weather-dependent seasonal work is necessary in
many areas. For example, in many locations, it can be necessary to
provide for landscaping and lawn care to ensure that a business remains
presentable to its customers at all times. Similarly, in locations where
snowfalls occur, it can be necessary to provide for snow removal, ice
control, and the like to ensure that customers of a business are able to
access the business and/or are not subject to dangerous conditions while
accessing the business. Thus, it can be important for businesses to
ensure that weather-based seasonal work or weather-dependent seasonal
work is performed properly and in a timely fashion.

[0006] The performance of weather-dependent or weather-based work can be
quite costly to a business. In many instances, however, the performance
of weather-based or weather-dependent work is simply one of the costs of
doing business; if the weather-based or weather-dependent work is not
performed, the loss to business is greater than the cost of performing
the weather-dependent work. Regardless of the necessity of performing the
work, businesses often wish to obtain the benefit of less-costly manners
of performing such work. Costs can be reduced in several ways, and one of
the ways in which costs can be reduced is through consolidating contracts
for performance of the work, such as at multiple business locations
together and through competitive bidding processes.

[0007] While contracting for performance of weather-dependent work at
multiple locations through a competitive bidding process has potential to
significantly reduce costs associated with performance of the
weather-dependent work, there are significant hurdles that have
traditionally prevented adoption of such practices. One such hurdle is
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act,
publicly-traded businesses that incur material costs must have adequate
controls in place to ensure that incurred costs are proper and are
properly accounted for. Meanwhile, costs that are not material do not
have such requirements.

[0008] Large publicly-traded businesses that might wish to take advantage
of cost savings by consolidating their weather-dependent work have found
the requirements imposed by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act make it difficult to
proceed with such consolidation. Instead, the businesses have allowed the
weather-dependent work to be performed piecemeal under the direction and
discretion of local divisions of the business. In this way, the
weather-dependent work for each location of the business is handled
locally and therefore does not amount to a material cost subject to the
requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

[0009] For example, a national bank having many branches commonly allows
the manager of each branch to contract for any weather-dependent work
necessary at the branch. As the local costs for performing
weather-dependent work are handled locally, the cost is not deemed a
material cost to the national bank, and the controls and reporting
requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are not implicated. Even though
the national bank avoids the difficulty and cost of compliance with
Sarbanes-Oxley, the national bank essentially trades that cost for a
different one inherent in the system for local handling of local work.
Specifically, the national bank lacks oversight and control over the
locally-performed work. For example a local bank manager may hire a
friend or relative to perform the weather-dependent work at rates higher
than necessary. Additionally, the national bank forgoes the cost savings
that could potentially be achieved through consolidation of the work.

[0010] Even in instances where a national business might be willing to
comply with the requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley and obtain
weather-dependent work on a consolidated basis, the weather-dependent
work industry is so fractured as to make consolidation extremely
difficult to achieve in a way that provides any real cost benefit. Much
weather-dependent work (e.g. snow removal, lawn care) is performed by
local small businesses, often on a seasonal basis. Many such small
businesses only operate or offer services during certain times of the
year, or are involved in other services during an off-season for the
weather-dependent work. In some instances, weather-dependent work
necessary in one season must be obtained from a different source than the
source of weather-dependent work necessary in another season. The net
result is that any potential consolidation of weather-dependent work is
extremely complex. An entity wishing to bid on weather-dependent work on
a large scale is therefore required to construct its bid based on a
bottom-up pricing model, obtaining sub-bids from many individual sources
and constructing the overall bid accordingly.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Implementation of the invention provides various systems, methods,
non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer program
instructions for causing a computer device to implement methods, and the
like to utilize weather information from one or a variety of locations to
estimate costs for providing weather-dependent work, and to provide
financial controls for weather-dependent work allegedly performed.
Implementation of the invention can utilize a variety of stand-alone and
networked computer systems, sensors, weather information sources, and
historical data to provide such functions.

[0012] One exemplary method is provided for estimating costs to perform
weather-dependent work at a plurality of work locations. The method
includes utilizing a weather information source providing historical
weather information relating to a historical need for performance of
weather-dependent work at a selected work location of the plurality of
work locations to generate an estimate of an anticipated frequency with
which weather-dependent work will be necessary at the selected work
location, utilizing information about conditions at the selected work
location and information about the cost of performing weather-dependent
work in the area of the selected work location to estimate an anticipated
cost per incident for performing weather-dependent work at the selected
work location, repeating the steps of generating an estimate of the
anticipated frequency of performing weather-dependent work and estimating
an anticipated cost per incident for performing weather-dependent work
for all of the plurality of work locations, and generating an aggregate
bid for performing weather-dependent work at all of the plurality of work
locations based on the anticipated frequency of performing weather
dependent work and the anticipated cost per incident for performing the
weather-dependent work at each of the plurality of work locations.

[0013] As part of this process, the method may also include locating a
plurality of weather information sources providing weather information
potentially corresponding to the work locations, and determining a best
correlation between the weather information of each weather information
source and work history data for each work location. The best correlation
is utilized in generating the anticipated frequency of performing
weather-dependent work at each work location.

[0014] In at least some implementations, an estimate of an actual area on
which weather-dependent work will be necessary is generated. Generating
an estimate of an actual area on which work will be necessary may include
obtaining imagery of the work location depicting the actual area on which
work will be necessary, and deriving, from the imagery, the estimate of
the actual area in which weather-dependent work will be necessary. The
imagery may include satellite and other imagery, such as aerial and
street-level imagery. In at least some implementations, obtaining the
imagery, and estimation of the actual work area are automatically
performed. In some implementations, the estimate of the actual work area
is manually reviewed or originally obtained manually.

[0015] In some circumstances, when the estimate of the actual area in
which weather-dependent work will be necessary cannot be determined with
sufficient certainty, a request is made for an in-person estimate of the
cost for performing weather-dependent work at the selected work location.
In some implementations, information about the complexity of performing
weather-dependent work at the selected work location may be incorporated
into the estimation and bidding process.

[0016] In some implementations, the method further includes monitoring the
weather information source for current weather information related to a
current need for weather-dependent work at the plurality of work
locations, and using the current weather information to evaluate work
invoiced by one or more service providers providing current
weather-dependent work at the plurality of work locations. The evaluation
may include auditing a bill for weather-dependent work allegedly
performed at the plurality of work locations by the service providers,
and/or detecting a situation where weather-dependent work should have
been performed but was not yet invoiced by the service providers.

[0017] Another exemplary method is provided for auditing invoiced
weather-dependent work at a work location. The method includes locating a
weather information source providing weather information indicative of a
need to perform weather-dependent work at a work location, receiving an
invoice for weather-dependent work allegedly performed at the work
location, and evaluating the invoice for weather-dependent work allegedly
performed at the first location in light of the weather information near
the time of alleged performance of the weather-related work at the work
location to determine a likelihood that the weather-related work was
necessary and actually performed.

[0018] When an evaluation of the weather-dependent work allegedly
performed at the work location in light of the weather information is
indicative that the weather-dependent work was not necessary, a hold may
be placed on paying for the weather-dependent work allegedly performed at
the work location until a service provider can prove that the
weather-dependent work was necessary and was performed.

[0019] Another exemplary method is provided for providing controls related
to weather-dependent work at a first location. The method includes
locating a first weather information source providing weather information
relating to a second location, the second location being estimated to
have weather similar to weather occurring at the first location, and
determining a correlation between the weather information relating to the
second location and a need for weather-dependent work at the first
location by comparing weather history data relating to the second
location from the first weather information source to work history data
for weather-dependent work at the first location. The method further
includes monitoring the first weather information source for current
weather information related to possible weather-related events suggesting
a need for weather-dependent work at the first location, recording
possible weather-related events suggesting a need for weather-dependent
work at the first location, determining whether an invoice for
weather-dependent work at the first location has been received
corresponding to all recorded possible weather-related events, notifying
a service provider of weather-dependent work at the first location when
no invoice for weather-dependent work at the first location has been
received corresponding to any possible weather-related event suggesting a
need for weather-dependent work at the first location, and auditing the
invoice for weather-dependent work at the first location when the invoice
is received.

[0020] In some such implementations, a service provider can be notified of
a potential need to perform weather-dependent work at a time proximate to
a detected weather event. In some implementations, the service provider
is notified of a potential need to perform weather-dependent work only
when the service provider has not checked in within a certain time frame
after detection of the detected weather event.

[0021] Another exemplary system is provided for use in verification of
services performed in a large scale service provider environment. The
system provides a weather observation and reporting site, a computer in
communication with said weather observation and reporting site to either
receive reports when a preset parameter is reached or to review regular
reports from the site and determine when a preset parameter has been
received, a service period in which it has been determined that a service
provider should notice the weather has reached said preset parameter and
responded by performing for a client a snow removal service, and a
computer generated communication sent to the client requesting a response
to a query regarding whether the snow removal service was performed and
whether it was satisfactory.

[0022] Implementation of the invention includes systems to implement
methods such as these and variations thereon, including a variety of
stand-alone and networked computer systems. The foregoing summarized
methods are intended to illustrate features of implementations of the
invention, and are not to be deemed limiting of the various
implementations of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The objects and features of the present invention will become more
fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken
in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these
drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are,
therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope, the invention will
be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through
the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

[0024]FIG. 1 shows a depiction of a representative computer system that
may be used with embodiments of the invention;

[0025]FIG. 2 shows a depiction of a representative networked computer
system that may be used with embodiments of the invention;

[0026]FIG. 3 shows a depiction of a representative map area showing
representative work locations and weather information locations; and

[0027]FIG. 4 shows a flowchart depicting methods in accordance with some
embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] A description of embodiments of the present invention will now be
given with reference to the Figures. It is expected that the present
invention may take many other forms and shapes, hence the following
disclosure is intended to be illustrative and not limiting, and the scope
of the invention should be determined by reference to the appended
claims.

[0029] Embodiments of the invention provide various systems, methods,
non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer program
instructions for causing a computer device to implement methods, and the
like to utilize weather information from one or a variety of locations to
estimate costs for providing weather-dependent work, and to provide
financial controls for weather-dependent work allegedly performed.
Embodiments of the invention can utilize a variety of stand-alone and
networked computer systems, sensors, weather information sources, and
historical data to provide such functions.

[0030] One exemplary method is provided for estimating costs to perform
weather-dependent work at a plurality of work locations. The method
includes utilizing a weather information source providing historical
weather information relating to a historical need for performance of
weather-dependent work at a selected work location of the plurality of
work locations to generate an estimate of an anticipated frequency with
which weather-dependent work will be necessary at the selected work
location, utilizing information about conditions at the selected work
location and information about the cost of performing weather-dependent
work in the area of the selected work location to estimate an anticipated
cost per incident for performing weather-dependent work at the selected
work location, repeating the steps of generating an estimate of the
anticipated frequency of performing weather-dependent work and estimating
an anticipated cost per incident for performing weather-dependent work
for all of the plurality of work locations, and generating an aggregate
bid for performing weather-dependent work at all of the plurality of work
locations based on the anticipated frequency of performing weather
dependent work and the anticipated cost per incident for performing the
weather-dependent work at each of the plurality of work locations.

[0031] As part of this process, the method may also include locating a
plurality of weather information sources providing weather information
potentially corresponding to the work locations, and determining a best
correlation between the weather information of each weather information
source and work history data for each work location. The best correlation
is utilized in generating the anticipated frequency of performing
weather-dependent work at each work location.

[0032] In at least some embodiments, an estimate of an actual area on
which weather-dependent work will be necessary is generated. Generating
an estimate of an actual area on which work will be necessary may include
obtaining imagery of the work location depicting the actual area on which
work will be necessary, and deriving, from the imagery, the estimate of
the actual area in which weather-dependent work will be necessary. The
imagery may include satellite and other imagery, such as aerial and
street-level imagery. In at least some embodiments, obtaining the
imagery, and estimation of the actual work area are automatically
performed. In some embodiments, the estimate of the actual work area is
manually reviewed or originally obtained manually.

[0033] In some circumstances, when the estimate of the actual area in
which weather-dependent work will be necessary cannot be determined with
sufficient certainty, a request is made for an in-person estimate of the
cost for performing weather-dependent work at the selected work location.
In some embodiments, information about the complexity of performing
weather-dependent work at the selected work location may be incorporated
into the estimation and bidding process.

[0034] In some embodiments, the method further includes monitoring the
weather information source for current weather information related to a
current need for weather-dependent work at the plurality of work
locations, and using the current weather information to evaluate work
invoiced by one or more service providers providing current
weather-dependent work at the plurality of work locations. The evaluation
may include auditing a bill for weather-dependent work allegedly
performed at the plurality of work locations by the service providers,
and/or detecting a situation where weather-dependent work should have
been performed but was not yet invoiced by the service providers.

[0035] Another exemplary method is provided for auditing invoiced
weather-dependent work at a work location. The method includes locating a
weather information source providing weather information indicative of a
need to perform weather-dependent work at a work location, receiving an
invoice for weather-dependent work allegedly performed at the work
location, and evaluating the invoice for weather-dependent work allegedly
performed at the first location in light of the weather information near
the time of alleged performance of the weather-related work at the work
location to determine a likelihood that the weather-related work was
necessary and actually performed.

[0036] When an evaluation of the weather-dependent work allegedly
performed at the work location in light of the weather information is
indicative that the weather-dependent work was not necessary, a hold may
be placed on paying for the weather-dependent work allegedly performed at
the work location until a service provider can prove that the
weather-dependent work was necessary and was performed.

[0037] Another exemplary method is provided for providing controls related
to weather-dependent work at a first location. The method includes
locating a first weather information source providing weather information
relating to a second location, the second location being estimated to
have weather similar to weather occurring at the first location, and
determining a correlation between the weather information relating to the
second location and a need for weather-dependent work at the first
location by comparing weather history data relating to the second
location from the first weather information source to work history data
for weather-dependent work at the first location. The method further
includes monitoring the first weather information source for current
weather information related to possible weather-related events suggesting
a need for weather-dependent work at the first location, recording
possible weather-related events suggesting a need for weather-dependent
work at the first location, determining whether an invoice for
weather-dependent work at the first location has been received
corresponding to all recorded possible weather-related events, notifying
a service provider of weather-dependent work at the first location when
no invoice for weather-dependent work at the first location has been
received corresponding to any possible weather-related event suggesting a
need for weather-dependent work at the first location, and auditing the
invoice for weather-dependent work at the first location when the invoice
is received.

[0038] In some such embodiments, a service provider can be notified of a
potential need to perform weather-dependent work at a time proximate to a
detected weather event. In some embodiments, the service provider is
notified of a potential need to perform weather-dependent work only when
the service provider has not checked in within a certain time frame after
detection of the detected weather event.

[0039] Another exemplary system is provided for use in verification of
services performed in a large scale service provider environment. The
system provides a weather observation and reporting site, a computer in
communication with said weather observation and reporting site to either
receive reports when a preset parameter is reached or to review regular
reports from the site and determine when a preset parameter has been
received, a service period in which it has been determined that a service
provider should notice the weather has reached said preset parameter and
responded by performing for a client a snow removal service, and a
computer generated communication sent to the client requesting a response
to a query regarding whether the snow removal service was performed and
whether it was satisfactory.

[0040]FIG. 1 and the corresponding discussion are intended to provide a
general description of a suitable operating environment in which certain
embodiments of the invention may be implemented. One skilled in the art
will appreciate that embodiments of the invention may be practiced by one
or more computing devices and in a variety of system configurations,
including in a networked configuration. However, while the methods and
processes of the present invention have proven to be particularly useful
in association with a system comprising a general purpose computer,
embodiments of the present invention include utilization of the methods
and processes in a variety of environments, including embedded systems
with general purpose processing units, digital/media signal processors
(DSP/MSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), stand alone
electronic devices, and other such electronic environments.

[0041] Embodiments of the present invention embrace one or more
computer-readable media, wherein each medium may be configured to include
or includes thereon data or computer executable instructions for
manipulating data. The computer executable instructions include data
structures, objects, programs, routines, or other program modules that
may be accessed by a processing system, such as one associated with a
general-purpose computer capable of performing various different
functions or one associated with a special-purpose computer capable of
performing a limited number of functions. Computer executable
instructions cause the processing system to perform a particular function
or group of functions and are examples of program code means for
implementing steps for methods disclosed herein. Furthermore, a
particular sequence of the executable instructions provides an example of
corresponding acts that may be used to implement such steps. Examples of
computer-readable media include random-access memory ("RAM"), read-only
memory ("ROM"), programmable read-only memory ("PROM"), erasable
programmable read-only memory ("EPROM"), electrically erasable
programmable read-only memory ("EEPROM"), compact disk read-only memory
("CD-ROM"), or any other device or component that is capable of providing
data or executable instructions that may be accessed by a processing
system. While embodiments of the invention embrace the use of all types
of computer-readable media, certain embodiments as recited in the claims
may be limited to the use of tangible, non-transitory computer-readable
media, and the phrases "tangible computer-readable medium" and
"non-transitory computer-readable medium" (or plural variations) used
herein are intended to exclude transitory propagating signals per se.

[0042] With reference to FIG. 1, a representative system for implementing
embodiments of the invention includes computer device 10, which may be a
general-purpose or special-purpose computer or any of a variety of
consumer electronic devices. For example, computer device 10 may be a
personal computer, a notebook computer, a netbook, a personal digital
assistant ("PDA") or other hand-held device, a workstation, a
minicomputer, a mainframe, a supercomputer, a multi-processor system, a
network computer, a processor-based consumer electronic device, or the
like.

[0043] Computer device 10 includes system bus 12, which may be configured
to connect various components thereof and enables data to be exchanged
between two or more components. System bus 12 may include one of a
variety of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller, a
peripheral bus, or a local bus that uses any of a variety of bus
architectures. Typical components connected by system bus 12 include
processing system 14 and memory 16. Other components may include one or
more mass storage device interfaces 18, input interfaces 20, output
interfaces 22, and/or network interfaces 24, each of which will be
discussed below.

[0044] Processing system 14 includes one or more processors, such as a
central processor and optionally one or more other processors designed to
perform a particular function or task. It is typically processing system
14 that executes the instructions provided on computer-readable media,
such as on memory 16, a magnetic hard disk, a removable magnetic disk, a
magnetic cassette, an optical disk, or from a communication connection,
which may also be viewed as a computer-readable medium.

[0045] Memory 16 includes one or more computer-readable media that may be
configured to include or includes thereon data or instructions for
manipulating data, and may be accessed by processing system 14 through
system bus 12. Memory 16 may include, for example, ROM 28, used to
permanently store information, and/or RAM 30, used to temporarily store
information. ROM 28 may include a basic input/output system ("BIOS")
having one or more routines that are used to establish communication,
such as during start-up of computer device 10. RAM 30 may include one or
more program modules, such as one or more operating systems, application
programs, and/or program data.

[0046] One or more mass storage device interfaces 18 may be used to
connect one or more mass storage devices 26 to system bus 12. The mass
storage devices 26 may be incorporated into or may be peripheral to
computer device 10 and allow computer device 10 to retain large amounts
of data. Optionally, one or more of the mass storage devices 26 may be
removable from computer device 10. Examples of mass storage devices
include hard disk drives, magnetic disk drives, tape drives, optical disk
drives, and flash memory drives. A mass storage device 26 may read from
and/or write to a magnetic hard disk, a removable magnetic disk, a
magnetic cassette, an optical disk, flash memory, or another
computer-readable medium. Mass storage devices 26 and their corresponding
computer-readable media provide nonvolatile storage of data and/or
executable instructions that may include one or more program modules such
as an operating system, one or more application programs, other program
modules, or program data. Such executable instructions are examples of
program code means for implementing steps for methods disclosed herein.

[0047] One or more input interfaces 20 may be employed to enable a user to
enter data and/or instructions to computer device 10 through one or more
corresponding input devices 32. Examples of such input devices include a
keyboard and alternate input devices, such as a mouse, trackball, light
pen, stylus, touch screen, or other pointing device, a microphone, a
joystick, a game pad, a satellite dish, a scanner, a camcorder, a digital
camera, and the like. Similarly, examples of input interfaces 20 that may
be used to connect the input devices 32 to the system bus 12 include a
serial port, a parallel port, a game port, a universal serial bus
("USB"), an integrated circuit, a firewire (IEEE 1394), or another
interface. For example, in some embodiments input interface 20 includes
an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that is designed for a
particular application. In a further embodiment, the ASIC is embedded and
connects existing circuit building blocks.

[0048] One or more output interfaces 22 may be employed to connect one or
more corresponding output devices 34 to system bus 12. Examples of output
devices include a monitor or display screen, a speaker, a printer, a
multi-functional peripheral, and the like. A particular output device 34
may be integrated with or peripheral to computer device 10. Examples of
output interfaces include a video adapter, an audio adapter, a parallel
port, and the like.

[0049] One or more network interfaces 24 enable computer device 10 to
exchange information with one or more other local or remote computer
devices, illustrated as computer devices 36, via a network 38 that may
include hardwired and/or wireless links. Examples of network interfaces
include a network adapter for connection to a local area network ("LAN")
or a modem, wireless link, or other adapter for connection to a wide area
network ("WAN"), such as the Internet. The network interface 24 may be
incorporated with or peripheral to computer device 10. In a networked
system, accessible program modules or portions thereof may be stored in a
remote memory storage device. Furthermore, in a networked system computer
device 10 may participate in a distributed computing environment, where
functions or tasks are performed by a plurality of networked computer
devices.

[0050] Thus, while those skilled in the art will appreciate that
embodiments of the present invention may be practiced in a variety of
different environments with many types of system configurations, FIG. 2
provides a representative networked system configuration that may be used
in association with embodiments of the present invention. The
representative system of FIG. 2 includes a computer device, illustrated
as client 40, which is connected to one or more other computer devices
(illustrated as client 42 and client 44) and one or more peripheral
devices (illustrated as multifunctional peripheral (MFP) MFP 46) across
network 38. While FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment that includes a client
40, two additional clients, client 42 and client 44, one peripheral
device, MFP 46, and optionally a server 48, which may be a print server,
connected to network 38, alternative embodiments include more or fewer
clients, more than one peripheral device, no peripheral devices, no
server 48, and/or more than one server 48 connected to network 38. Other
embodiments of the present invention include local, networked, or
peer-to-peer environments where one or more computer devices may be
connected to one or more local or remote peripheral devices. Moreover,
embodiments in accordance with the present invention also embrace a
single electronic consumer device, wireless networked environments,
and/or wide area networked environments, such as the Internet.

[0051] As depicted in FIG. 2, one or more weather information sources 50
is connected to the network 38. The weather information source 50 may be
any type of weather information source at any level of complexity and
providing any of a variety of information types and levels of detail. For
example, the weather information source 50 may be or may include a news
media source that provides weather information, such as a local or
national news source. Alternatively or additionally, the weather
information source 50 may be or may include one or more weather sensors
or suites of weather sensors that provide particular types of weather
information. The weather information source 50 may also be or include
local human reports of actual or current weather conditions. The weather
information source 50 may also be or include remote sensing data such as
satellite data, radar data, and the like for a particular location. The
weather information source 50 may be some hybrid of the foregoing
potential sources of information, or any other current or future source
of weather information.

[0052] The weather information source 50, whatever its type, may provide
weather information on one of a variety of schedules from real time to
near real time to periodically, but preferably provides weather
information on a time schedule sufficiently detailed to permit its use
for the estimation, auditing, and exception reporting purposes discussed
herein. While FIG. 2 shows the weather information source 50 being
connected to the network 38, it should be understood that the information
provided by the weather information source 50 may be directly available
over the network 38 or may be provided to the system in any other
applicable fashion, including manual entry at any computer system
connected to the network, or through a chain of computer systems (not
shown). While one weather information source 50 is shown in FIG. 2, it
should be understood that a plurality of weather information sources 50
may be incorporated into the system and it should further be understood
that each weather information source 50 may provide weather information
about one or more than one geographic locations.

[0053] Information obtained from the weather information source 50 can be
used in conjunction with other information in various ways. For example,
the information obtained from the weather information source 50 can be
used to provide estimates of needs for future weather-dependent work at
one or more geographic locations. Such information can be used by a
aggregated or consolidated provider of weather-dependent work in
conjunction with additional information as will be discussed herein in
generation of estimates or bids to perform weather-dependent work on an
aggregated or consolidated basis. The information obtained from the
weather information source 50 facilitates the generation of consolidated
estimates and bids for weather-dependent work in a top-down fashion not
currently available.

[0054] The generation of consolidated estimates and bids for
weather-dependent work in a top-down fashion allows a nationwide provider
of weather-dependent work to contract for nationwide performance of the
weather-dependent work at a fixed price. Although the nationwide provider
of weather-dependent work may utilize employees to perform the
weather-dependent work, the nationwide provider need not perform all the
weather-dependent work using its own employees, but may utilize one or
more contractors to perform a portion to all of the weather-dependent
work. As the weather-dependent work may still be provided in various
geographic locations that can be very distant one from another, including
locations where it may not make sense to maintain employees to perform
the weather-dependent work, the use of contractors may make sense for
performance of the weather-dependent work in at least some locations. The
top-down pricing model facilitated by certain embodiments of the
invention allows the nationwide provider to know at what cost contractors
to perform the weather-dependent work must be obtained, thereby further
assisting the provider.

[0055] Additionally, the information obtained from the weather information
source 50 can be used to facilitate auditing of expended costs, even on
very large scales. For example, the information obtained from the weather
information source 50 can be used to verify or confirm that weather
conditions at a geographic location justified or dictated the performance
of weather-dependent work such that when invoices, bills, or the like are
received for allegedly-performed weather-dependent work, the alleged
performance of weather-dependent work can be checked against
corresponding weather condition information obtained from the weather
information source 50. When the weather information confirms or provides
sufficient certainty that invoiced weather-dependent work was necessary,
corresponding payment(s) may be approved, and when sufficient certainty
is lacking, requests for satisfactory verification of performed work and
the need thereof can be requested and obtained prior to approving
payment. In ways such as these, the use of information from the weather
information source 50 provides controls of a type that complies with the
requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley, thereby making available cost savings to
national businesses that can be achieved through consolidation of the
performance of weather-dependent work in ways not previously readily
available due to the requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley.

[0056] As used herein, the term "weather-dependent work" should be
understood to relate to any type of work, the need for which is dependent
on or influenced by weather. For example, weather-dependent work may
include snow removal work. Thus, weather information that is particularly
applicable to determining a correlation between weather and weather
events at the work location 54 for snow removal purposes may include any
type of snowfall information and/or general precipitation and temperature
information. In some instances, snow removal may need to be performed
multiple times for a single snow event, or several snowfall events may
occur in close time proximity, resulting in a need to perform snow
removal multiple times in a single day or other time period. Thus, the
weather information and information on a past need to perform snow
removal at the work location 54 are correlated accordingly.

[0057] As another example, weather-dependent work may include landscaping
work, such as planting, watering (such as where automatic watering
systems are not used), lawn mowing, and the like. In this example, the
weather information that may be applicable could be any weather or
weather events that affect the need to perform the landscaping work. In
some climates and instances, for example, cloudy and rainy weather may
reduce the need to perform certain landscaping work or could dictate that
such work be performed on a less-frequent time scale while in other
climates, such weather may increase the need to perform or needed
frequency of certain landscaping work. Thus, the weather information to
be correlated with a need to perform weather-dependent work may include a
great variety of weather information.

[0058]FIG. 3 depicts a representative portion of a map 52 of a
representative geographic area for purposes of understanding certain
embodiments of the invention. The map 52 of FIG. 3 depicts a variety of
locations, each location being represented by a dot or circle. Some of
the locations shown on FIG. 3 are work locations 54 and other locations
are weather information locations 56. The work locations 54 are or are
fairly representative of locations where weather-dependent work will,
did, allegedly did, or could potentially occur. The weather information
locations 56 are locations where weather information is available from
one or more weather information sources 50. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the
distance between each of the one or more work locations 54 may vary
between the one or more weather information locations 56 by any distance,
and indeed, a particular weather information location 56 may be located
at or very close to the same location as one of the work locations 54.

[0059] Regardless of the proximity of the work locations 54 and the
weather information locations 56, at least one of the weather information
locations 56 is evaluated to determine a correlation between weather and
weather events at a particular work location 54 and weather information
provided by a weather information source 50 associated with the weather
information location 56. Specifically, a correlation may be determined
between past weather information provided by the weather information
source 50 and weather and weather events at the work location 54 that
have resulted in or are correlated with a need to perform
weather-dependent work at the work location 54.

[0060] Alternatively, where information regarding weather and weather
events at the work location 54 that have resulted in or are correlated
with a need to perform weather-dependent work at the work location 54 is
not available, a correlation between information regarding the weather
information source 50 and information regarding the work location 54 may
be made. For example, a correlation may be based on a variety of
geographical features. As one example, a correlation may be based in
whole or in part on elevation information between the work location 54
and the weather information location 56 in conjunction with a distance
between the work location 54 and the weather information location 56.
Additionally or alternatively, similarity of or proximity to any of a
variety of weather-related geographical features may be utilized in
generating the correlation. For example, weather-related geographical
features may include bodies of water that may moderate temperatures or
lead to "lake effect" snow. Weather-related geographical features may
also include the presence of, direction of, and distance to mountains or
hills. A correlation between the weather information location 56 and the
work location 54 as discussed herein can be made using any or all of this
information. A correlation may also be based in whole or in part on or
may take account of local vegetation similarities and differences at the
work location 54 and the weather information location 56.

[0061] While it may seem that weather information from a weather
information source dealing with a particular weather information location
56 located in closest proximity to the work location 54 of interest would
always be of most interest and would therefore have the highest
correlation, it may be that the correlation between the need for
weather-dependent work at the work location 54 and the weather
information associated with the weather information location 56 in
closest proximity will not be as good as the correlation at a
more-distant location. Local climates and weather information can vary
greatly from location to location. For example, a first weather
information location 56 may be geographically closest to a particular
work location 54, but may be shown to have significantly different
weather due to factors such as common prevailing winds, differences in
elevation, other geographic features (e.g. proximity to a mountain),
differences in local shading, proximity to weather-moderating and/or
weather-enhancing bodies of water, or for any of a variety of other
reasons.

[0062] Thus, a correlation between weather information from a variety of
weather information locations 56 and each work location 54 may be
determined. A best fit one or more correlations between past work history
at the work location 54 and weather information from one or more weather
information locations 56 and/or a best fit one or more correlations based
on other information is then used for purposes of determining what
weather information will be used for various purposes in accordance with
certain embodiments of the invention. For example, the correlation may be
used by a national or regional provider bidding on provision of
weather-dependent work to estimate a future need for weather-dependent
work at the work location 54 to generate a most-accurate bid. The
correlation may also be used to provide controls for the provision of
weather-dependent work, for example for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley,
such as for auditing weather-dependent work at the work location 54, and
for exception reporting with respect to weather-dependent work
anticipated to have occurred at the work location 54 but not invoiced.

[0063] In many instances, simply knowing past weather information may be
insufficient for a provider of consolidated weather-dependent work to
accurately generate desired estimates or bids for the provision of the
weather-dependent work. For example, as discussed above, the provider may
not have employees available in every geographic location to provide the
weather-dependent work, and in some instances may not have any employees
providing the weather-dependent work. In such instances, the provider may
utilize or may desire to utilize various contractors or other entities to
perform some or all of the weather-dependent work. In instances where
contractors are to be used, it may be desirable to be aware of current
and/or anticipated rates for performance of the desired weather-dependent
work.

[0064] The current and/or anticipated rates for performance of the desired
weather-dependent work may vary from location to location. For example,
rates may be higher for certain types of weather-dependent work in urban
areas due to cost-of-living, rent costs, and other concerns. Similarly,
rates may be higher for certain types of weather-dependent work in
sparsely-populated areas due to increased fuel costs dictated by travel
distances between anticipated locations of weather-dependent work. The
current and/or anticipated rates for performance of the desired
weather-dependent work may also vary based on the anticipated amounts of
the weather-dependent work that can be aggregated to a single contractor
or other local provider. Similarly, the current and/or anticipated rates
and the range thereof may vary based on the number of contractors
available and the level of competition existing within a certain area.

[0065] Not all contractors will provide identical services at identical
rates, so information may be gathered regarding a range of rates
available in different areas of interest. Rates for performance of
weather-dependent work may be expressed in a variety of different
fashions, including per unit area (e.g. the size of a parking lot to be
cleared of snow and ice, the size of a lawn to be mowed, etc.), per
occurrence (e.g. a flat base fee per push of snow clearing, etc.), per
intensity (e.g. a total depth of snowfall over a certain period of time),
or any combination of these or other concerns. Different contractors or
other entities may calculate or express their rates using different
methods, and when using such information, it is important to understand
and take into account the manner in which the rates are expressed. As
information about current and anticipated rates is accumulated to
facilitate providing a top-down bid for large-scale performance of
weather-dependent work, such as to a large publicly-traded company, the
information may be organized and stored in an appropriate and accessible
way, such as on a database.

[0066] In some instances, current and/or anticipated rates for a
particular area may not be readily directly available. For example,
contractors in a particular area may be unwilling to disclose their rates
for whatever reason. Alternatively, contractors in a particular area may
be unreachable or may not have their rates disclosed in a way that is
reasonable obtainable within the time and other constraints available for
obtaining rate information. Further alternatively, an aggregate provider
may be unable to locate contractors willing and able to perform
weather-dependent work in a particular area, such as due to a lack of
advertising by any contractors in a particular area, which may be the
case during an off season for the applicable weather-dependent work.

[0067] In other instances, the current and/or anticipated rates that are
obtained for a particular area may appear to be unexpected. For example,
research conducted into current and/or expected rates for a particular
location may discover rates to be significantly higher than might
otherwise be expected. Alternatively, research related to a different
location may discover rates to be significantly lower than might
otherwise be expected.

[0068] In instances where rates are unavailable or are significantly lower
or higher than might otherwise be expected, various responses may be
taken to ensure that the aggregate provider is able to compile an
accurate top-down bid or quote at which it will be able to have the work
performed by contractors while still achieving a profit. As one example,
such situations may be flagged for further review. As another example,
such situations may be automatically handled. Upon further review or with
automatic handling, a variety of actions could be taken. For example, if
the work location(s) 54 affected by the rate information or lack thereof
are comparatively minor or few in number, the rate information or lack
thereof might be essentially ignored and average or comparable data may
be used. As another example, additional steps may be taken to obtain
accurate rate information, such as additional efforts to locate available
contractors. As still another example, applicable rate information may be
derived, such as by evaluating any of a variety of factors to equate or
correlate known rate information from one location where information is
known to the location of interest. Such factors could include
similarities in income, geography, demographics, or any other applicable
factors.

[0069] The information regarding current and/or anticipated rates for
performance of the weather-dependent work can be helpful in conjunction
with the weather information obtained from the weather information source
50 to allow the aggregate service provide to generate a bid or quote, but
in some instances still further information may be needed to permit
accurate bids or quotes for the performance of the weather-dependent
work. For example, in many instances, the cost of performing
weather-dependent work such as snow removal or lawn care is dependent in
whole or in part on the amount of work that will be performed at each
work location 54. Thus, the cost for performing snow removal on a small
parking lot may be significantly different from the cost for performing
snow removal on a large parking lot. Of course, the difference in cost
may be greater in some instances than others, based on the rate
information in each instance.

[0070] In certain embodiments of the invention, modern technology may be
leveraged to facilitate obtaining information about the amount of
anticipated work that will be performed at each work location 54. In many
instances, an evaluation is made as to the amount of work that will be
performed for each instance of weather-dependent work (e.g. how much area
must be cleared for each instance of snow removal), while in other
instances, the evaluation may be made with respect to a total amount of
work to be performed at a particular work location 54. In still other
instances, an evaluation may be made as to both a total amount of work as
well as a per-instance amount of work.

[0071] In a bottom-up method of evaluating the cost for performing work at
a particular location, a typical method for evaluating work to be
performed might involve a contractor visiting the location and physically
measuring the site in determining the cost for performing the
weather-dependent work. While such methods may be used and are embraced
by certain embodiments of the invention, and may even be required in
certain circumstances or at certain locations to ensure accurate
information for preparing an estimate or bid, such methods involve
certain inherent difficulties. There may be significant cost involved in
performing on-site evaluations, especially where on-site evaluations are
to be performed at multiple locations for a large bid package to be put
together for an aggregate service provider who is not even guaranteed to
obtain a contract to perform the weather-dependent work. Additionally,
where an aggregate service provider is attempting to accumulate
information to prepare an accurate bid, the aggregate service provider
may not even have contracted with contractors in many or all of the
various locations. Thus, the cost for performing the measurement and
evaluation must also include the cost of locating and engaging
contractors to perform the measurement and evaluation.

[0072] Thus, in some embodiments of the invention, alternative mechanisms
can be utilized to evaluate amounts of work to be performed at various
work locations 54. For example, modern technology has made satellite
and/or aerial photography of a variety of locations readily available,
such as over the Internet. In many instances, such photography includes
sufficient detail on known scales of reference to permit such photography
to be used to determine or estimate actual areas where the
weather-dependent work will occur. For example, with respect to snow
removal, such photography may be used to generate estimates of the square
footage of a parking lot at a particular location.

[0073] As another example, an area of lawn or other landscaping may be
determined, along with an estimate of the complexity of the lawn (e.g.
hills, curves, interruptions for flower beds and the like, etc.). Of
course, it should be understood that any features that might be impactful
on the cost of performing the weather-dependent work and that can be
obtained or even estimated from the visual information included in the
photography may be so obtained and used in estimating the anticipated
cost to perform the weather-dependent work at a particular location.
Depending on the quality of the photography, including any obscuring
features such as trees and the like, the estimates so generated may vary
in precision and/or accuracy, and any such estimates may include
information such as notes explaining the quality of the estimates.

[0074] Visual information such as that obtained from satellite/aerial
photography may be only one type of technologically available information
that may be accessed in determining anticipated costs for performing
weather-dependent work at a particular location. Other technologically
available information that may be utilized may include topographical
information which may be available in certain areas and may be used to
anticipate sloped or hilly conditions that may increase the anticipated
cost of performing weather-dependent work at a location. Additionally, in
many locations, street-level photography has become increasingly
available, and may be reviewed to evaluate conditions such as access,
type of landscaping, topography, and any other considerations that may
impact the anticipated cost of performing weather-dependent work at a
location.

[0075] Evaluation of such technologically accessible sources of
information may be performed manually, semi-automatically, or
automatically. Partially or fully-automatic evaluation of technologically
accessible sources of information may occur, for example, through
automated evaluation of satellite photography where delineations between
work areas and non-work areas are distinct and computer-recognizable. For
example, where the weather-dependent work to be performed is snow
removal, a computer might successfully determine what areas are parking
lots where snow is to be cleared and what areas are not.

[0076] In some such circumstances, a computer system can evaluate
conditions at a potential work address, determine that a work area can be
determined, and could calculate the area accordingly. When the work area
is saved or stored to the system, the computer could also save or store a
determined reliability of the calculation, indicative of the computer's
assurance that the determined work area is accurate. In some instances,
imagery corresponding to the determination could also be stored, such as
by storing a copy of the imagery with a boundary superimposed indicating
the area determined by the system. Where the imagery used is copyrighted,
the system could save a link to the location and the boundary and the
image could be recalled and the boundary imposed on the image to be
displayed to a user. At a later time, all or some portion of the
computer-detected boundaries and calculations could be reviewed for
accuracy and any changes made manually. As a particular example, a user
could manually review all determinations having an accuracy determination
below a certain threshold.

[0077] Where a manual review or initial manual determination is made (such
as where a computer system cannot reliably determine the work area, or
where all determinations are made manually), the system could display
imagery to the user and could permit the user to interact with the system
to input boundaries on the work area or enter any information that will
assist in making an evaluation of the anticipated cost of performing the
weather-dependent work. The work area and any input information can then
be saved and used in determining the anticipated cost of performing the
weather-dependent work at the location. As with the automated methods for
determining information, the user's confidence in the determined
information may be input and stored for use in generating the aggregate
bid information or for later evaluation of whether an in-person
evaluation is warranted.

[0078] Where area estimates and other cost-impacting information obtained
through use of satellite or aerial photography or through use of any
other technologically accessible information sources are of varying
quality, any of various actions may be taken in response to estimates
deemed of lower quality. Where accurate information is most critical,
actual in-person estimates may be requested. Additionally or
alternatively, any aggregated estimates generated using lower-quality
information may result in an anticipated cost of performing the
weather-dependent work that includes a range of cost estimates
corresponding to the confidence level associated with the area estimates
and other cost-impacting information. The final aggregate bid or estimate
can then incorporate, be based on, and potentially include the various
ranges for the various work locations 54 included in the aggregate bid.

[0079] As may be appreciated from the foregoing description, the cost and
time savings available by accessing and utilizing technologically
available information in these ways may result in significant savings in
working up the aggregate bid. A single employee, working from a computer,
can generate quite-accurate estimates of the costs for performing
weather-dependent work at a great number of work locations 54 that are
geographically distant from each other in a short amount of time and at a
cost that may be significantly less than the amount of time and cost
involved in performing a single in-person estimate. Additionally, further
cost savings may be obtained through the user of fully-automated and
semi-automatic estimates, where feasible. Finally, maximum flexibility
may be retained in that in-person forms of estimating remain an option
where necessary.

[0080]FIG. 4 shows a flow chart illustrating methods in accordance with
these principles. Execution begins with step 60, where information
identifying a particular work location 54 is obtained, such as by entry
of address information about the work location 54 into a computer system,
or by obtaining information from a spreadsheet or database containing
information about multiple work locations 54. At decision block 62, a
determination is made as to whether to perform a computer-based or
automated analysis of the work location 54. In embodiments where a
computer-based or automated analysis of the work location 54 is not
available, steps associated with decision block 62 may be omitted. If,
however, a computer-based or automated analysis of the work location is
to occur, execution proceeds to step 64, where imagery of the work
location 54 is obtained, such as from public or private databases. While
the discussion of FIG. 4 focuses on the use of imagery, it should be
understood that other information types and sources may be used in
addition to or in replacement of imagery of the work location 54.

[0081] At decision block 66, a determination is made as to whether the
available imagery is adequate for the computer-based or automated
analysis. The imagery may not be adequate, for example, if it is not at a
known scale, if it lacks sufficient quality for the automated analysis,
if it includes features that obscure the features of interest, or if the
features of interest cannot be discerned from the imagery. If the imagery
is adequate for the automated analysis, or if alternative imagery that is
adequate can be obtained, execution proceeds to step 68, where an
automated analysis of the work location 54 is performed. As discussed
above, this analysis may include, for example, a determination of a work
area (e.g. a parking lot surface area) where weather-dependent work is to
be performed.

[0082] At step 70, the results of the analysis and optionally a confidence
level associated with the results are stored by the system for potential
later review as well as for use in preparing aggregate bids. Execution
then proceeds to decision block 72, where a determination is made as to
whether to conduct a manual review of the analysis of the particular work
location. As may be appreciated, computer systems may perform steps 60
through 72 for numerous work locations quite rapidly in many instances,
often without significant manual intervention.

[0083] If manual analysis of the work location 54 is desired for any
reason, execution proceeds to step 74. Manual analysis of the work
location may occur if, for example, no computer analysis is determined at
decision block 62, if imagery is inadequate to perform an automated
analysis, as determined at decision block 66, or if manual review of the
automated analysis is deemed desirable at decision block 72. Manual
analysis begins at step 74, where imagery of the work location 54 is
displayed to the user. The imagery displayed to the user may have been
obtained previously or may be obtained at the time the user interacts
with the system. At step 76, the system receives input from the user
relating to cost of performing weather-dependent work at the work
location 54. For example, the input may include direct input of a cost
estimate, an estimate of the work area at the work location 54,
delineation of boundaries of the work area, or any other type of input,
including a confidence level associated with the input information. At
step 78, the results of the manual analysis and optionally any confidence
level associated therewith are stored by the system.

[0084] Once manual analysis is complete or if no manual analysis is
necessary after automated analysis, execution proceeds to decision block
80, where a determination is made as to whether further review of the
analysis is needed. If, for example, the automated or manual analysis was
unable to provide an estimate of the cost to perform the
weather-dependent work at the work location 54 within a desired
confidence level, execution proceeds to step 82, where a request is made
for an in-person estimate of the cost of performing the weather-dependent
work at the work location 54. At step 84, such an estimate is received
back to the system, and execution proceeds to step 86, where the analysis
and/or any other relevant information is used in preparation of the
aggregate bid. Step 86 is also performed where no in-person analysis is
necessary.

[0085] Processes similar to those of FIG. 4 may commonly be used to
determine an anticipated cost for per-incident performance of
weather-dependent work at work locations 54. When this anticipated cost
information is used at step 86 in the generation of an aggregate bid, the
anticipated cost information is utilized in conjunction with weather
information, such as weather information from the weather information
source(s) 50 that permits estimating the number of times
weather-dependent work will need to be performed during a particular
period of interest. Thus, with knowledge of the anticipated per-incident
cost of performing the weather-dependent work and of the number of times
that performance of weather-dependent work is anticipated to be
necessary, the aggregate bid can be quite accurate. While it is
anticipated that abnormal weather events will occur, abnormal weather
events can be incorporated into the bidding process. Additionally, the
aggregating of performance of weather-dependent work across potentially
large geographic areas may minimize the effects of abnormal weather
events, with increased costs in one area offset by reduced costs in
another area.

[0086] The use of methods similar to those outlined in FIG. 4 allows an
aggregate or consolidated service provider to quickly generate a
competitive and accurate bid for the performance of weather-dependent
work on essentially any scale for essentially any number of work
locations 54 spread over essentially any geographic area with confidence
that the work can be performed within the parameters of the bid while
maintaining an adequate margin for the aggregate service provider. Such a
bid is generated in a top-down fashion without requiring that the
aggregate service provider retain or engage contractors in advance to
perform the weather-dependent work before the aggregate service provider
knows whether the bid is successful and accepted.

[0087] In the event the aggregate service provider's bid is accepted, the
aggregate service provider is able to utilize the information generated
as part of the process of creating the aggregate bid as it engages
contractors or employees to perform the contracted weather-dependent
work. Using at least some embodiments of the invention, the aggregate
service provider is aware of its bid, the estimates for performing the
weather-dependent work in each location, ranges of contractor costs in
various locations, contact information for contractors, and the desired
margins to be retained by the aggregate service provider. Armed with this
information, the aggregate service provider is able to seek out
contractors willing to perform the weather-dependent work within
acceptable margins and/or to hire employees at acceptable wages to
perform the weather-dependent work.

[0088] The foregoing is an example of one way in which weather information
may be used in conjunction with providing aggregated weather-dependent
work on large scales. As mentioned previously, the provision of
weather-dependent work on large scales may result in significant savings
to entities desiring performance of the weather-dependent work; however,
the provision of weather-dependent work on a large-scale or aggregated
basis may result in a material cost falling within the requirements of
Sarbanes-Oxley, as discussed above. Therefore, at least some embodiments
of the invention utilize weather information to provide features
facilitating compliance with the requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley.

[0089] Specifically, at least some embodiments of the invention utilize
weather information from the weather information source 50 or weather
information sources 50 to provide and facilitate auditing of allegedly
performed weather-dependent work and exception reporting in instances
where it is expected that weather-dependent work was performed but has
not been invoiced. Thus, the correlation between the various work
locations 54 and weather information locations 56, in conjunction with
the information provided by the weather information source(s) 50 may be
used to provide controls to the system that permit publicly-traded
companies obtaining the cost-saving benefits of aggregated performance of
weather-dependent work in compliance with the requirements of regulations
such as Sarbanes-Oxley.

[0090] With respect to auditing invoiced work, the aggregate service
provider may receive an invoice for weather-related work alleged to have
been performed by a contractor, worker, or the like. For example, an
independent snowplow operator may be assigned to perform snow removal
work at a certain work location 54 and may provide invoices of work
performed from time to time to the aggregate provider that pays the
contractor for the work. The invoice may be provided in any manner, such
as paper or electronically, and includes dates and locations for all
services provided by the contractor. The date and location information is
used to audit the work allegedly performed by the contractor.

[0091] For example, an analysis may be performed based on weather-related
information associated with the work location 54 for the
allegedly-performed work to determine whether it was likely that weather
conditions dictated a need for performance of the weather-related work.
For example, if weather information indicates that no snow was received
during a particular period of time, and an invoice is received for snow
removal during that period of time, it is possible that the invoiced snow
removal is fraudulent. Alternatively, there may simply be a mistake in
the contractor's invoice, such as an incorrect date or location. As
another alternative, as weather can sometimes vary even between locations
not very distant from one another, it may be that the weather information
does not reflect weather actually occurring at the invoiced work location
54.

[0092] Regardless, if an analysis of the invoice is indicative of a
possibility of a fraudulent or mistaken invoice, a hold may be placed on
paying on the potentially-fraudulent or mistaken invoiced work. The hold
may prevent passing along costs to the entity paying the aggregate
service provider. The hold may remain in place until the contractor has
provided adequate assurances or evidence that the work was performed as
invoiced. Alternatively, the hold may remain in place until a corrected
invoice is submitted, such as with a correct date for the invoiced work.
To permit the contractor to respond to the hold, a message informing of
the hold may be sent to the contractor. All processes for evaluating and
auditing invoices, placing holds, providing notice of holds, and removing
holds may be performed automatically in at least some instances, or
alerts relating to any such processes may be provided, such as by a
computer system display, to a system operator to allow the system
operator to accept or reject a hold, or to further evaluate whether a
hold is appropriate.

[0093] In some instances, an audit of invoiced work may occur in multiple
stages. For example, an initial audit may be performed based on weather
information from a weather information source deemed to have a best
correlation with a particular work location 54. If a potential error is
detected based on the initial audit, a further audit may be performed
using weather information from additional weather information sources or
relating to different weather information locations 56. A further audit
of this type may indicate a hold is not necessary if other weather
information is indicative that the invoiced work was necessary, likely
necessary, or at least potentially necessary. A further audit may detect
localized weather patterns as well as situations where weather
information from a particular source or relating to a particular weather
information location 56 is incorrect or incomplete, such as due to a
faulty sensor.

[0094] When performing exception reporting, weather information from a
variety of sources may be monitored to detect weather conditions and
events indicative of a need to perform weather-dependent work at one or
more work locations 54. For example, automatic trigger levels may be set
that are indicative of a need to perform weather-dependent work. With
respect to snow removal, for example, a reported snowfall amount
exceeding two inches may be chosen as a trigger indicative of a need to
perform snow removal. Any time a snowfall amount exceeding this trigger
level is detected, it may be presumed that weather-dependent work will be
necessary at one or more work locations 54.

[0095] Exception reporting associated with detected trigger events may
occur in a variety of fashions. In one example, contractors assigned to
perform weather-dependent work at various locations may check in with the
system to indicate that they are aware of a need to perform
weather-dependent work and will perform the work. In the case where
trigger events are detected and one or more contractors does not check in
within a certain amount of time to indicate that the work will be
performed, a notification may be sent to the one or more contractors
(e.g. by e-mail, telephone call, text message, and the like) requesting
that they check in or acknowledge the need to perform weather-dependent
work. In the event that certain contractors do not check in,
reassignments may be made among other contractors to ensure that all
contracted work is performed. Actions such as these may reduce complaints
from businesses needing weather-dependent work and ensure that the
businesses are well served.

[0096] Another type of exception reporting may occur in association with
auditing and evaluation of invoiced services. In one example, an invoice
may be received that does not include weather-dependent work on a date
where a trigger event was detected. When this occurs, a contractor
assigned to provide the work can be notified or contacted regarding the
potentially-missing work. The contractor may have made a mistake in the
invoice that can thus be corrected to ensure proper payment. In addition,
a correction can thus be made before work is billed to the end customer
by the aggregate service provider, preventing a need for a later
corrected invoice in the event the contractor later detects the error.
Alternatively, the contractor may simply have discovered that local
conditions varied from what was expected based on the weather
information, and that weather-dependent work was not necessary. In such
an instance, the contractor can indicate that the lack of invoiced work
was correct.

[0097] Exception reporting may also be performed in instances where no
invoice at all is received, even though it is expected that
weather-dependent work was necessary and had occurred. A contractor, for
example, may find himself occupied with other work and may neglect to
provide an invoice for work performed. While the contractor may
eventually anticipate invoicing for the work performed, the late
invoicing of work performed may appear unprofessional when it results in
late billing to the business where the work was performed. Thus, a
notification may be provided to the contractor that weather-dependent
work was expected on a certain date, that an invoice had not been
received, and that an invoice is needed by a certain date or time to
facilitate billing.

[0098] As may be appreciated, exception reporting in the fashion discussed
above may be especially useful at or near the end of billing cycles.
Exception reporting methods such as these facilitate timely billing for
work performed, and ensures that contractors are timely paid for work
they performed.

[0099] Weather information may also be used for verification services,
similar in fashion to the performance of exception reporting discussed
above. Verification services may improve customers' experience by
ensuring that weather-dependent work such as snow removal is performed in
a timely and satisfactory fashion. Thus, a computer system may be in
communication with a weather information source such as a weather
observation and reporting site. The computer system may receive reports
from the weather information source when a preset weather-related
parameter is met, such as a snowfall event of a certain magnitude.
Alternatively, the computer system may receive regular reports from the
weather information source and may independently determine when a preset
parameter has been satisfied. As discussed previously, the weather
information source may not directly report on weather conditions and
events at a location of interest, and instead information about weather
conditions at a location of interest may instead by derived from weather
information obtained from one or more correlated weather information
sources.

[0100] In embodiments of the system, it is to be assumed that service
providers, such as those contracted to perform weather-dependent work at
one or more work locations, will take note of weather conditions
satisfying parameters indicative of a need to perform the
weather-dependent work. For example, a snow-removal provider will be
presumed to note when a snowfall event necessitating removal has
occurred. The service provider will then be presumed to perform the
weather-dependent work (e.g. snow removal). The weather-dependent work is
performed on behalf of a client, and a client representative will
typically be aware of whether the weather-dependent work has been
performed in a timely and satisfactory manner. Therefore, a
computer-generated message may be sent to the client representative
requesting a response to a query as to whether the weather-dependent work
was performed and whether the performance was satisfactory.

[0101] The computer-generated message may be sent using any combination of
desired technologies. As one example, an e-mail may be generated and sent
by the computer system. As another example, a SMS or text message may be
sent by the computer system. As another example, an automated telephone
call may be performed by the computer system. Essentially any
communication method capable of automated performance by a computer may
be utilized, and essentially any method corresponding method for
receiving a response may be used, including computer-based and
interactive-based methods. For example, a response may be received by
text message, e-mail, telephone key entry, and the like. Additionally,
the message may request that the client representative respond in a way
that will utilize human interaction on behalf of the service provider,
such as by a return phone call to customer service personnel.

[0102] The sending of a request for a response to a query regarding
whether a weather-dependent service was performed in a timely and
satisfactory manner serves to improve client relations and ensure client
satisfaction with the aggregate service provider. It ensures that the
clients and client representatives are aware of weather events that may
result in a need for weather-dependent work and are striving to ensure
that such work is performed when necessary. Thus, the automated request
may include requests for multiple types of information. The request may
include a request for confirmation that a need for weather-dependent work
occurred. If such a need occurred, the request may also seek confirmation
that the work was performed, whether the work was timely performed, and
whether the work was satisfactorily performed, etc.

[0103] The information received in response may be used in various
manners. For example, where an indication is received that
weather-dependent work was not needed, models for predicting the need for
weather-dependent work may be updated to reflect the response, or data
may be accumulated for later updates accordingly. Similarly, where an
indication is received that weather-dependent work was not performed,
action may be taken to contact the local service provider to determine
why the weather-dependent work was not performed and/or to ensure that
the weather-dependent work will shortly be performed. Further contacts
with the client representative may be made to apprise the client
representative of any updates of the situation. In instances where the
work was performed, but not in a satisfactory manner and/or not in a
timely manner, the concerns of the client representative may be addressed
with the service provider to improve future service and/or remediate
unsatisfactory work where possible. If necessary, new contracted service
providers may be located. All such actions may occur in automated,
semi-automated, or manual fashions, as desired.

[0104] In some embodiments, communications with the local contracted
service provider may be maintained until the service provider reports
that the weather-dependent work has been performed or remediated.
Alternatively, a work-completed communication may be received from the
local service provider. Regardless, when the work has been completed,
further communications with the client representative may be made. This
furthers customer satisfaction by ensuring the client representative that
the aggregate service provider is committed to customer satisfaction and
will follow through to ensure performance of the weather-dependent work.

[0105] Some embodiments of the invention are configured to receive updates
of services performed from the local service providers as the services
are performed. Thus, when a determination has been made that a service
Therefore, verification services in accordance with those discussed
herein may be incorporated into any embodiment of the invention.

[0106] Embodiments of the invention are implemented with all the functions
discussed above in an integrated fashion. Thus, for example, estimates
are prepared based on past weather data and weather-dependent work
information. Then, once weather-dependent work is undertaken, audits are
performed on all invoiced work, and exception reporting occurs to ensure
that all expected weather-dependent work is properly invoiced.

[0107] The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms
without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The
described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as
illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is,
therefore, indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing
description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of
equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.